blueberry.taco build and adventures

edit- first pic is the thread preview pic? so here's a good pic rather than the stock pic

/edit

Figured I'm making enough progress to start a build thread that I'll do my best to keep updated.

Goal with this truck is to make a #overlandingrig that can reliably be taken out past where all the "bolt-on" #overlanders go off the beaten path so I can really avoid seeing any people wherever I go.

Previous rig has been wonderful over the years but it's time we upsize to have a little more comfort for hopefully longer trips. The blazer has been perfect for extended weekenders but I can't imagine living out of it for months at a time.
Although I'm downsizing in engine output from a nice v8 powered rig, I am actually more concerned with the amount of wheelbase and overhang I'm going to have to learn to wheel.

anyways, quick history:

Ordered a new Tacoma with all the options I wanted (noone had it on their lots so I had to 'order' it from the factory) in march 2020.
Key features I wanted: Access Cab, TRD Sport, manual trans, LED headlamps, heated seats with dual zone climate control and nav.

Received keys in late september due to Covid delays and usual allocation shenanigans

Did one 800 mile weekend trip to Lake Superior as a baseline for what a stock taco feels like.

Pulled it into the garage and started tearing into it.

pic at the dealership. nice and shiny

 

first mod was a freebie:


2nd mod was an easy bolt-in. just extending the rear brake lines for the future mods.


and then i started to tear into it. both diffs pulled and shipped to ECGS

 

while the diff was out, I beefed the axle a bit to make sure I never dent the rear cover into the ring gear


front suspension got torn down to add reliability to the known weak spots



hard to tell in this pic but i welded in the marlin crawler LCA tab gussets

 

You don't waste time do ya?

 

cab mount chop for more tire clearance.

and after clearancing everything for the tires for full suspension stroke and steering, i got the BP-51s bolted in

 

everyone loves cutting up brand new sheet metal right?

 

This part won't be going on for a while but BAMF got my bumper done way earlier than expected.
Typically I make my own bumpers from scratch but for the sake of saving time (lots to do on this truck) I ended up ordering what to me seems like the best quality/thought out (and looking) bumper I could find.
that said, I couldn't help but fully weld the areas that were stitched, and I love having a hitch receiver on each end of my trucks. it's just too useful to have.

little loops to ziptie wire runs onto




and then had to spend a good amount of time modding and smoothing the bash plate to work


BAMF's kit comes with little relocation brackets for the PS cooler but they just weren't quite what I wanted so I ended up remaking all 3 brackets
(this is why everything takes forever)

 

then I decided to play with my new air chisel.
got the rear frame rails cleaned up pretty easily




and after hours and hours and hours of measuring and marking and remeasuring and mocking and remeasuring, I got the front leaf perches for the 63" chevy leafs burned in


the ruffstuff kit shackle mounts didnt have enough nipples for my liking so i added some myself


... and welded in with their outriggers


I don't weld as much as I used to but it feels good when you lay a good string of beads down.

 

of course, I can't leave any stock suspension brackets alone...


and started mocking up the 12" Fox shocks on the BAMF shock relocation kit.
I don't know how people do this without taking their leaf packs apart. (i actually bought new leafs for the truck, but pulled a set from the junkyard to use for mockup/cycling only. hence the rusty mono leaf in some pictures coming up)


initial tacked position was full bump on the shock with only 4" up travel so I cut those off to redo


clocked the lower tabs a little lower and got it to right around 6"/6" bump/rebound travel from a roughly mocked up ride height and got it fully welded in

 

and of course who doesn't want to protect their expensive shocks from pulling apart?


started fabbing up some brackets to hold air springs on. I'll be using the daystar cradles on the axle side.
the air spring in the pictures is just mockup ones I had laying around from when I had a lowered S0 during high school....
I found that airlift has some springs with internal jounce bumpers in them, with 3 different heights to choose from, so that is the direction I'm going.
I'm not sure why I haven't seen many people use them on tacomas, since it's quite difficult to package both air springs and bump stops in the same location otherwise.

 

and on the side I added some bling under the hood to power my dual ARB lockers and inflate tires.
I'm looking forwards to faster airing up. I just used a portable Masterflow compressor with the blazer, and i was always annoyed at how long it took + trying to figure out what to do with a hot compressor after filling up 8 tires (what, your wheeling buddies have their own compressors? whaaat?)
Didn't like the idea of not having a check valve on the leader line, and also heard people mention the -4 stainless line was restrictive, so I ran -6 stuff to a 1/4"NPT check valve. we'll see how that goes once i wire it up.


I got the back end back on the ground, but I'm still waiting on pinion shims to correct driveline angles and final hardware. I want to add tabs and brackets here and there for various things before i do a final coat of paint too.


aand we're finally caught up to my 3.5 months of tacoma ownership

 

Everything is looking great. Gonna be a badazz truck when your done

 

Beautiful work you’ve done so far, subbed.

 

ready for more, subbed

 

TOP NOTCH!

 

well this thread delivered!
subbed! also what was the very first mod?

 

You are INSANE! Also in SE MI, I’m sure I’ll see you rolling or wheeling somewhere eventually... I have a feeling that truck will be unmistakable when you’re done.

 

Wow, this looks amazing already. Can’t wait to see how this goes.

 

Thanks everyone!

Clutch hydraulics accumulator delete. There are some extensive threads on this if you are interested.

Yea most likely, I have been surprised to see how many voodoo blues are in the area already though.

 

Very nice build you got going on.